The nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense says North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear enrichment programs and military pose a “growing and direct threat” to the United States.

Leon Panetta, who currently serves as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), made the remark in written answers to questions by members of the Senate Armed Services Committee ahead of his confirmation hearing.

Panetta said that the United States must continue to monitor carefully North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction and missile development.

Panetta added that if his nomination is confirmed, he intends to monitor the security situation on the Korean Peninsula closely and work for the continued transformation of U.S. alliances and partnerships in the region. He said he will also maintain the military capabilities necessary to protect U.S. interests, to defend U.S. allies and to deter North Korea from acts of aggression and intimidation.

The CIA chief also said South Korea and the United States will continue to understand each other and work together for the smooth transfer of wartime operational control from the U.S. to South Korea that is set to take place in December 2015.